With summer at an end, our kids are already heading back to school, eager (sort of) to cram their heads full of Very Important Knowledge and Valuable Life Skills, like the capital of Maine, the square root of 9, and how to run away from bullies. (Answers: Augusta, who cares?, and as fast as humanly possible.)
But how should we, as parents, fuel our children’s brains and bodies for the classroom?
Sure, nothing’s quicker or easier than chucking packs of Snackables, Go-Gurts, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups into backpacks…but I’m guessing none of us are eager to sacrifice our offspring’s health for the sake of convenience.
Still, convenience matters. Not many of us can devote hours each day to crafting five-star meals to cram into Batman lunchboxes. What we need are easy and healthy school lunches for our kids, right?
So starting today, I’m teaming up with Jackie Linder of LunchBots—maker of my all-time favorite stainless steel lunch containers – to offer you a full week’s worth of simple Paleo school lunch ideas.
Ready to roll up your sleeves?
Monday’s Lunch: Prosciutto-Wrapped Frittata Muffins & Apple Slices with Nut Butter.
Like all the recipes we’re presenting this week, this one’s pretty straightforward. Follow the recipe on my blog (or on my iPad app) to whip up a dozen of these hearty, savory, eggy muffins for Sunday brunch or dinner, and save a few to pack for the next day’s lunch.
Here’s a kid-sized portion of frittata muffins and apple slices in a LunchBots Duo:
Don’t have cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, or spinach handy? No problem. These miniature frittatas can be stuffed with whatever veggies and/or emergency protein you have handy – from ground beef and broccoli to bacon and kale.
Wrapped in crispy prosciutto shells, these muffins are perfect for kiddos who love eating with their hands. (In other words, EVERY CHILD I’VE EVER MET. And some adults, too.) Bonus: No dirty forks to wash!
Throw in a sliced apple, and fill a little LunchBots Dips container with your favorite nut butter (almond butter’s a current fave – as is Mee Nut Butter). Your cavekid’ll spend all of lunch period having a good ol’ time making gooey apple-nut-butter-sandwiches. (For those of you who asked, I put the apples in a silicone baking cup.)
Of course, if your school’s a tree-nut-free zone, substitute sunflower seed butter, or just sprinkle some cinnamon on the apple slices instead.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right? (Speaking of which, don’t forget to squeeze a bit of citrus on the apple slices to keep ‘em from browning before lunchtime!)
Stay tuned for the rest of our series on Paleo school lunches – and trust me: you won’t want to miss the giveaway at the end of the week!
[UPDATED: Check out Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, Thursday’s, and Friday’s lunches, too!]
